No. 1 Oklahoma Ready for NCAA Championships

NORMAN – When the No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team takes the competition floor this week at the NCAA Championships inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, it will be OU's 22nd appearance at the national event. The No. 1 overall seed will compete in Thursday's Semifinal II with No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah and No. 9 Kentucky at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Sooners have faced each of those three teams once this season.

"What an incredible ride 2023 has been for OU," head coach K.J. Kindler said. "The strength of schedule our team faced during the regular season was impactful as we began our postseason push. Our team fought through a rough start in the regional final and showed how gritty and determined they can be. I cannot say enough about the mental toughness and assertiveness they showed in those moments. Pure passion and exceptional execution when they needed it most. We are honored to have the opportunity to represent Sooner Nation in the semifinals in Fort Worth."

Competing on the opposite side of the bracket for a shot to advance to the Four on the Floor will be No. 2 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 California and No. 14 Denver in Semifinal I on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT. The top two teams from each session will advance to Saturday's final at 3 p.m. CT on ABC.

The all-around and individual event champions will also be determined during Thursday's semifinals. Live stats will be available at the NCAA StatBroadcast page for fans to follow the action. Fans looking to make the trip to Fort Worth can purchase tickets at the NCAA Championships Ticketmaster website.

NATIONAL TV COVERAGE

For the third consecutive season, the ESPN family of networks continues to raise the bar in its collegiate gymnastics coverage, with the semifinals airing on Thursday at 2 and 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and the championship final live on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ABC.

Bart Conner (play-by-play), Kathy Johnson Clarke (analyst) and Samantha Peszek (reporter) will announce all three sessions. For the first time, a live ABC pre-show ahead of Saturday's Four on the Floor final will air at 2:30 p.m. CT. Former Olympic gymnast John Roethlisberger will serve as the host.

Along with the main broadcast for the NCAA Championships, ESPN will also provide individual apparatus streams on ESPN+ for both the semifinals and Four on the Floor. Kennedy Baker (vault), Bridget Sloan (bars), Ashley Miles Greig (beam) and Roethlisberger (floor) will commentate the streams. In addition, a quad box/all-around stream will allow fans to view all four events at once.

The Sooners were already featured five times (including four times in the regular season) on ESPN networks in 2023, including their home opener against No. 5 Utah on Jan. 22 on ESPN and twice on ESPN 2 (at then-No. 13 LSU [now No. 6] on Jan. 16 and vs. No. 2 Florida on March 3).

ROTATION ORDER

The rotation order for the national semifinals was determined by blind draw prior to the selections. The Sooners will compete in the following order: bars, beam, floor and vault. This is the same rotation OU had in the NCAA Norman Regional final, where it battled back from third place halfway through the meet to win its 15th NCAA Regional title.

Competing in Olympic order and starting on vault will be No. 9 Kentucky, while No. 4 UCLA begins on beam and No. 5 Utah on floor. Rotating with the Sooners as an individual all-around competitor will be Michigan's Abby Heiskell. With the changes to the postseason made in 2019 and reducing the number of teams to four, there are no longer byes during competition.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY LESSON

The Sooners won their fifth NCAA team title last season thanks to a comeback for the ages. In fourth place after its opening floor rotation, OU rallied to post a 0.1125 win over runner-up Florida and clinched the meet on beam anchor Ragan Smith's 9.9625. Utah finished in third place and Auburn in fourth. One of just seven programs to ever win an NCAA team title, OU won its first championship in 2014 (shared with Florida) and added others in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022.

This is OU's 22nd NCAA Championships appearance in program history and fourth in the new eight-team format that debuted in 2019. The Sooners are one of three programs from the 2022 NCAA Championships to return in 2023, joining No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Utah from last season. OU and Utah are the only two programs to advance to the NCAA Championships every season since 2004. This marks the third straight year for the Sooners to face Utah in semifinals action.

The Big 12 Conference will make up 25% of the NCAA Championships field in Fort Worth, Texas, represented by top-ranked Oklahoma and No. 14 Denver. The SEC (No. 2 Florida, No. 6 LSU and No. 9 Kentucky) and Pac-12 (No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah and No. 7 California) each represent 37.5% of the field.

OU's INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

In addition to determining the squads competing in the Four on the Floor, Thursday's semifinals will serve to crown individual national champions. Scores will be combined from both sessions to determine the winners. OU has had six gymnasts combine for 17 individual NCAA titles. Kelly Garrison (1987, 1988) won all-around honors twice and claimed bars and beam titles as OU's first ever individual national champion.

Taylor Spears broke a 26-year drought to claim the beam title in 2014 while Nicole Lehrmann earned her first championship on bars in 2017. Brenna Dowell earned titles on vault in 2018 and floor in 2019. Maggie Nichols ended her career as the all-time leader with six individual NCAA championships. She was a back-to back all-around winner (2018, 2019), back-to-back bars champion (2017, 2018) and earned titles on floor (2018) and vault (2019). OU's last individual champion was Anastasia Webb, who earned three titles in 2021, bringing home the all-around, vault and floor crowns in her senior season.

POSTSEASON SUCCESS

Postseason has become a strength of the Sooners under 17th-year head coach K.J. Kindler. Since 2010, Oklahoma has captured a conference and NCAA regional championship in the same season 11 times (2010, 2012, 2013-19, 2022 and 2023). OU claimed the 2023 Big 12 Championship with the highest score in league championship history before earning its 13th straight regional crown.

The Sooners have advanced to the NCAA Championships 22 times in program history, including every season dating back to 2004. OU has never missed NCAA competition under Kindler's leadership. Going back to (and including) 2016, the Sooners have placed in the top two every year with national titles in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Since 2013, the Sooners are the only program in the nation to advance to the finals each year.

REGIONAL REWIND

The Sooners rallied in the final two rotations of the NCAA Norman Regional two weeks ago to secure their spot at nationals. It was OU's 13th straight regional title and 15th overall as it posted a 198.050 to finish ahead of second-place Kentucky's 197.850. The Wildcats also advanced and will join the Sooners in Fort Worth on Thursday night.

The Sooners swung strong on bars with the program's highest score in regional competition (49.675), but dropped to third after a pair of falls on beam. Trailing both No. 9 Kentucky and No. 16 Ohio State heading into the third rotation, OU earned another regional program best with a 49.675 on floor, registering six scores of 9.900 or higher on the event. The Sooners then notched their second-best regional score on vault (49.625), led by junior Katherine LeVasseur's fourth career perfect 10 and third this season.

During the second round of the Norman regional, sophomore Jordan Bowers and senior Ragan Smith each registered a perfect 10 to win the bars and beam titles, respectively. Bowers became the first Sooner to earn a perfect score on bars at an NCAA regional since Anastasia Webb in 2021, while Smith was the first to earn a 10.0 on beam in regional competition since Maggie Nichols in 2018. The regional titles marked the fourth for Bowers and first for Smith. Super senior Olivia Trautman earned her third career NCAA regional title and first on vault with a 9.950.

ALL-AMERICAN SOONERS

Six Sooners combined to secure 10 regular season All-America honors from the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA). Senior Ragan Smith, juniors Audrey Davis and Katherine LeVasseur, sophomores Jordan Bowers and Danielle Sievers, and freshman Faith Torrez all received recognition from the association.

Bowers led OU with five regular season honors, earning a spot for all four events (first team on beam and floor, second team on vault and bars) and in the all-around (first team). She joined OU legend Maggie Nichols (2017 and '18) as the only Sooners in program history to garner five All-America honors during a regular season.

LeVasseur and Sievers joined Bowers as All-Americans on vault with first-team honors. The 2023 Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year, LeVasseur earned her second straight regular season All-America honor on vault and third overall, while Sievers earned her first regular season All-America recognition.

For the third consecutive season, Davis earned first-team honors on bars, marking her fourth regular season All-America honor overall. Smith, the No. 5-ranked gymnast on beam (No. 1 in the Big 12), picked up regular season first-team honors on the event for the second consecutive year. Torrez, the 2023 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, earned her first All-America honor with first-team recognition on floor.

PURE PERFECT10N

Oklahoma has registered nine perfect 10s this season by four different gymnasts on all four events, including three with multiple perfect 10s this season — Ragan Smith, Jordan Bowers and Katherine LeVasseur. Smith's 10s came Jan. 29 on beam in the conference opener at then-No. 9 Denver, March 18 at the Big 12 Championship and March 30 in the second round of the NCAA Norman Regional. Smith's five career perfect 10s (all on beam) are tied for second most in program history with teammate Olivia Trautman, Haley Scaman and 2021 NCAA vault champion Anastasia Webb.

LeVasseur is sixth in program history for career perfect 10s with four total (all on vault). Her three 10.0s this season came Feb. 24 against West Virginia, March 12 vs. No. 14 Arizona State and April 1 during the NCAA Norman Regional final. LeVasseur became the first Sooner to earn a perfect 10 on vault in NCAA regional competition since Trautman in 2021.
Bowers is ranked seventh in program history with three career perfect 10s (tied with NCAA champions Brenna Dowell and Nicole Lehrmann). Bowers earned her 10s on floor (Feb. 24) and bars (March 30) this season. She posted OU's first perfect score on bars since Webb on April 2, 2021 (NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional second round) and first on floor since Trautman on Feb. 15, 2019 (Perfect 10 Challenge).

Following Bowers and LeVasseur, Trautman was perfect on vault as OU won against No. 2 Florida on March 3. The 10.0 was Trautman's first since the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional final on April 3, 2021, and fourth on vault.

THE NATION'S BEST

Oklahoma finished at No. 1 in the last national rankings before the NCAA postseason with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 198.355, holding the top spot for all 11 weeks in 2023, including the last five weeks since rankings were determined by NQS. OU holds the highest NQS in NCAA women's college gymnastics history with a 198.355.

For the eighth consecutive week, OU is ranked in the top three on each of the four events, including the No. 1 spots on vault (49.555) and bars (49.650) for the fifth straight week. The Sooners remain second on beam with a 49.630 and third on floor nationally with a 49.595 (tied with No. 3 Michigan and No. 6 LSU). Over conference championship weekend, OU earned the second-best score in the nation this season on beam with a program-best 49.800 on March 18.

Seven of the top 10 teams in the regular season rankings qualified for the NCAA Championships. Just three of the eight schools from the 2022 NCAA Championships qualified in 2023: No. 1 Oklahoma (national champions), No. 2 Florida (national runner-up) and No. 5 Utah (third place). Back in the championships field after a one-year absence are No. 6 LSU and No. 7 California. No. 4 UCLA and No. 14 Denver return for the first time since advancing to the finals in 2019. No. 9 Kentucky is making its second NCAA Championships appearance in program history and first since 2018.

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

Oklahoma head coach K.J. Kindler is in a league of her own as the only coach in NCAA history to take two different programs to the NCAA Finals. In 2006, Kindler's Iowa State team advanced to the Super Six. She has guided 11 OU teams to the NCAA Finals in her 17 years in Norman. Kindler and Michigan head coach Bev Plocki are the only two active coaches to win an NCAA team title.

TO 198 AND BEYOND

Oklahoma has totaled 62 scores of 198 or better in program history, including 54 scores since 2016. Of those 54, only 22 have been earned at home with the other 32 coming at road or neutral sites. Eighteen of those scores have come in regional or nationals competition, including a 198.050 mark at the 2023 NCAA Norman Regional final. The Sooners surpassed their own nation's-best score this season with a program-record 198.575 against West Virginia on Feb. 24. Last season, OU matched an NCAA record with 10 scores of 198 or better in a single season, which the Sooners first accomplished in 2018. This season, they own a nation-leading eight scores of at least 198.

The Sooners currently hold the top spot with five consecutive NQS's above the 198-mark and seven straight 198-plus averages this season. Before the Florida meet on March 3, OU earned five consecutive scores of 198 or higher. Eleven teams have hit 198-plus this season, including nine teams in the top 10. Five of OU's opponents have posted multiple scores of 198 or higher, including No. 2 Michigan with six, No. 3 Florida and No. 5 Utah with four each, No. 4 UCLA with three and No. 6 LSU with two.

CLOUD 9.9

Through 13 weeks of the season, the Sooners have posted 196 scores of 9.900 or higher. With 334 routines competed, that means 58.7% of the routines have scored at least a 9.900 this season. OU has put up double-digit marks of 9.9 or higher in 13 of 14 meets this season, including a season-high 18 at the NCAA Norman Regional final on April 1.

HOME ATTENDANCE RECORD IN 2023

Fan support inside Lloyd Noble Center reached new heights this season with single-season records in average attendance (7,057) and average student attendance (1,047). All five of Oklahoma's home meets ranked in the top 10 for program attendance, including the second-highest-attended meet in school history during its March 3 win against then-No. 2 Florida (9,541 fans). It was the highest-attended meet since UCLA came to town on March 3, 2019.

The Sooners drew their most fans ever in a season home opener when 7,013 fans watched OU down No. 5 Utah on Jan. 22. In conference play, the Sooners recorded the No. 5 and No. 6 home attendance marks in program history (vs. Iowa State on Feb. 3 and vs. West Virginia on Feb. 24), including the best home conference opener in school history vs. the Cyclones. OU rounded out its regular season home slate with a victory against Arizona State in front of the No. 7 crowd in program history.

KINDLER VS. THE SEC AND PAC-12

Southeastern Conference (SEC): The Sooners have proven to be a force when it comes to battling their foes in the Southeastern Conference. OU head coach K.J. Kindler is 70-9 against the SEC, including 42-1 since Jan. 26, 2018. Soon, this season's SEC opponents will be yearly competition as Oklahoma is set to join that league on July 1, 2024. The Sooners went 5-0 against the SEC during the 2023 regular season with victories at home against Florida (March 3) and on the road over Auburn (Jan. 7 in Las Vegas), LSU (Jan. 16) and Alabama and Arkansas (Feb. 11 in Fort Worth, Texas). OU has picked up three wins against the SEC during the postseason so far, including against the Razorbacks (second round) and Crimson Tide (final round) during the NCAA Norman Regional. Competing against No. 9 Kentucky for the first time this season, the Sooners beat the Wildcats during the NCAA Norman Regional final and will face them again during Semifinal II at the NCAA Championships on Thursday.
Pac-12 Conference: In 17 seasons at Oklahoma, Kindler is 78-23 against the Pac-12 Conference, including 43-2 over the last six years. Over the past four seasons, OU is 28-1 against Pac-12 schools. It is 4-0 against Pac-12 teams this season, with wins vs. top-10 teams (vs. No. 4 UCLA on Jan. 7 during the season opener at the Super 16 and against No. 5 Utah on Jan. 22 in front of 7,013 fans, the third-largest home crowd in OU history). The Sooners will face both the Bruins and Red Rocks again this Thursday during Semifinal II at the NCAA Championships. Competing during Semifinal I at the NCAA Championships, No. 7 California is the only other Pac-12 team in the top 10 OU has yet to face this season. The Sooners also defeated No. 20 Stanford at the Metroplex Challenge on Feb. 11 and No. 14 Arizona State in Norman on March 12.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION: NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SEMIFINAL II

Thursday's 8 p.m. NCAA Semifinal II has OU set for rematches against a trio of top-10 teams in No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah and No. 9 Kentucky.

No. 4 UCLA (15-6-2, 4-1-2 Pac-12): The Bruins are making their 36th overall NCAA Championships appearance in the 41 years of the event and first since in 2019. UCLA is one of just seven programs to ever win an NCAA team championship and joins Utah as the only two Pac-12 schools to accomplish the feat. The Bruins have won seven NCAA titles, which is the third-most in NCAA women's gymnastics history behind Georgia (10) and Utah (9). The last time UCLA won an NCAA championship was in 2018 after a perfect 10 on beam by Peng-Peng Lee on the final routine of the meet. In 1997, the Bruins became the fourth team in NCAA history to win a national team title, and also won championships in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2010. UCLA enters Thursday's competition as the No. 1 floor team nationally with a 49.630 NQS, holding the top spot for the last five weeks of the regular season rankings. UCLA is also ranked fourth overall (197.950), fifth on bars (49.545) and beam (49.560), and 11th on vault (49.365).

No. 5 Utah (25-3, 5-2 Pac-12): A program with rich gymnastics tradition, Utah is one of just seven programs to ever win a national title and joins UCLA as the only two Pac-12 schools to accomplish the feat. Utah is the only team in the nation to qualify for all 47 national championships, and has won nine NCAA team titles, the second-most in NCAA women's gymnastics history behind Georgia (10). In addition, the Red Rocks have finished as an NCAA runner-up eight times and have made 23 NCAA Finals appearances in program history. Utah earned a third-place finish as a team at the 2022 NCAA Championships behind national champion Oklahoma and runner-up Florida. The Red Rocks enter Thursday's competition as the No. 1 beam squad nationally with a 49.670 NQS, holding the top spot for 10 consecutive weeks. Utah is also ranked fourth on vault (49.430), fifth as a team (197.910) and sixth on bars (49.525) and floor (49.530).
No. 9 Kentucky (19-7, 5-2 SEC): The Wildcats will be making their second NCAA Championships appearance this week after advancing to the national stage for the first time in program history in 2018 when they finished sixth overall that year. This will be the first time Kentucky will compete at the NCAA Championships under the new eight-team format that debuted in 2019. The Wildcats earned their highest road score to date and highest ever in regional competition during the NCAA Norman Regional final with a 197.850. It was their second-best overall score ever. For the first time in program history, Kentucky entered the SEC Championships as the No. 3 overall seed, competing in the evening session for the first time since 2019. The Wildcats finished fourth with the program's highest score at the conference championships with a 197.675. UK enters Thursday's competition in the top 10 overall and in two events. It ranks sixth on vault (49.405 NQS), ninth as a team (197.710) and tied for 10th on bars (49.410). The Wildcats are also 11th on floor (49.485) and 13th on beam (49.308).

IN THE POLLS

Six Sooners earned a total of 14 individual top-25 rankings with at least one gymnast ranked in the top 10 on all four events and in the all-around, including three Sooners in the top five on two events (vault and beam) and in the all-around. For the fifth consecutive week, four out of six gymnasts that competed on bars during conference championship weekend were ranked in the top-25 in NQS.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers ranks in the top 10 on three events and in the all-around, including fifth in the all-around (39.685 NQS), tied for seventh on beam (9.950), eighth on floor (9.950) and 10th on bars (9.945). She is also tied for 11th on vault with a 9.920 NQS. The Lincoln, Neb., native has earned 20 individual titles this season and now ranks 10th in program history with 40 career titles.

Junior Audrey Davis was ranked in the all-around nationally for the last two weeks of the regular season rankings at No. 19 (tied) with a 39.545 NQS. The Oakland, Fla., native is also tied for sixth nationally on bars (9.960 NQS) and No. 23 on beam (9.925). Davis is ranked fifth in program history with 18 career bars titles.

Four other Sooners also boast top-10 rankings during week 11, including two ranked in the top-five on their respective events. Junior Katherine LeVasseur, the 2023 Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year, remains No. 4 on vault for the last four weeks of the regular season rankings with a 9.945 NQS. From week 10 to 11, senior Ragan Smith improved seven spots into the top five (No. 5; 9.960) and is tied for fifth in career perfect scores (four) and career beam titles (15). The Lewisville, Texas, native is also tied for No. 21 on bars nationally with teammate Danielle Sievers (9.925).

From week 10 to 11, Sievers also improved seven spots on vault to No. 8 with a 9.925 NQS. The Gary, S.D., native matched a career-best 9.950 on vault to earn her her first event title this season on March 18. Freshman Faith Torrez shares eighth overall on floor with a 9.950 NQS and tied as the top freshman nationally with California's eMjae Frazier. Torrez, the 2023 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, held the top spot on the event as a freshman for the last five weeks of the regular season rankings.

LEADING THE WAY

Six Sooners combined to capture a conference-leading 11 spots on the 2023 All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team on March 15. This season marks the 15th straight year OU has led the league in All-Big 12 selections and the 14th consecutive season it has produced at least eight honorees on the All-Big 12 team. The Sooners occupied at least the top two spots on all four events, including a sweep on vault.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers led all honorees with five selections. Bowers joined Kasie Tamayo and Maggie Nichols as the only Sooners to achieve this feat. The Lincoln, Neb., native earned her second career All-Big 12 honor on vault, bars and floor, and first on beam and in the all-around. Bowers ranks first in the Big 12 in the all-around and on beam, and second on vault, bars and floor.

Senior Ragan Smith is now up to seven career honors with a nod on beam (her third) and bars (her second) in 2023. Juniors Audrey Davis and Katherine LeVasseur, sophomore Danielle Sievers and freshman Faith Torrez each picked up honors as well. Davis earned her third consecutive accolade on bars, while LeVasseur picked up her fourth career honor with her second nod on vault. Sievers and Torrez each earned their first career recognition on vault and floor, respectively. The trio of Davis, LeVasseur and Torrez leads the conference on their respective events.

CONFERENCE ACCOLADES

The No. 1-ranked Sooners posted their best beam score in program history (49.800) en route to the best-ever Big 12 Championship score to claim its 19th conference title and 14th in the Big 12 at the 2023 Big 12 Championship with a 198.400.

Big 12 yearly awards were announced following the meet. Freshman Faith Torrez became the 10th OU gymnast to be named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Junior Katherine LeVasseur won her first time an end-of-the-year conference honor, becoming the third consecutive Sooner to win the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year award and 10th overall. Seventeenth-year OU head coach K.J. Kindler was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year for the 12th time since she took over the Sooners program and the 15th time overall.

In addition to the year-end awards, individual conference champions were recognized after the meet. Six Sooners combined for a total of eight Big 12 individual event titles, claiming at least a share of every event title and the all-around. Sophomore Jordan Bowers won the conference all-around crown (39.700) and shared the Big 12 floor title with a 9.950.

Seniors Ragan Smith and Olivia Trautman are both tied (with four other Sooners) for the fifth-most career conference titles with four each. Trautman won her second consecutive Big 12 vault title and earned her first conference bars crown (scored a 9.950 on each; the bars score tied a career high). Smith earned her second perfect 10 and third title on the event this season.

Sophomore Danielle Sievers (vault), junior Audrey Davis (bars) and Torrez (floor) also earned conference titles. Sievers won her second career Big 12 crown and first on vault with a 9.950, sharing the title with Trautman and Denver's Rylie Mundell. Davis tied Trautman to earn her first Big 12 individual championship on bars. Torrez was the only freshman at the 2023 conference championship to win an individual title, tying Bowers and Denver's Jessica Hutchinson on floor.

LOOKING AHEAD

The top two teams from each Thursday semifinal will advance to the NCAA Four on the Floor this Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ABC. This will mark the third consecutive season the NCAA Championships Final will air on ABC after making its broadcast debut in 2021.

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